Three more Arkansas football assistants were fired on Monday, Sept. 29, in the wake of head coach Sam Pittman being dismissed.
According to Jackson Fuller of the Southwest Times Record — part of the USA TODAY Network — interim coach Bobby Petrino and Arkansas football have fired defensive coordinator Travis Williams, defensive line coach Deke Adams and co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson.
Williams and Woodson were in their third season with the program, whereas Adams was in his fourth year.
Petrino, who served as Arkansas’ head coach from 2008-11, was in his second season at the Razorbacks’ offensive coordinator before being elevated to interim coach. Petrino also expressed his interest in serving as Arkansas’ head coach moving forward, Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek noted in a news release announcing Pittman’s firing.
Pittman was fired after Arkansas’ 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame in Week 5, which marked three consecutive losses for the program. The Razorbacks blew an 18-point lead against Memphis on the road the week prior.
Arkansas ranked 112th in scoring defense (30 points per game) and 116th in total defense (425 yards per game), with Notre Dame scoring 42 points in the first half against the Razorbacks.
Pittman finished his Arkansas tenure with a 32-34 career record. His best season came in 2021, when the Razorbacks went 9-4 and won the Outback Bowl. Arkansas never finished with more than seven wins in any of his other seasons.
For now, Petrino will look to make an impact as interim head coach to strengthen his case to take over the role permanently. Arkansas now shifts its focus to casting a wide net of head coaching candidates to help right the ship in Fayetteville.